


You Just Don't Get It

by JustAGirlWhoTriesToWrite



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: F/F, I love my babe maureen, M/M, Things Fall Apart - Freeform, but - Freeform, no really, this is gonna hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 10:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7753693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAGirlWhoTriesToWrite/pseuds/JustAGirlWhoTriesToWrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Maureen had answered Cecil's call at the end of Things Fall Apart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Just Don't Get It

Maureen saw Cecil’s number on her caller ID. well, it didn’t say “Cecil Palmer” it said “That Jerk who Ruined Your entire Life,” but she knew who that was. She was not answering this. But…she wanted to hear the message, so she didn’t mute it. Not yet.

"Maureen! I finally figured it out," Cecil's smooth voice, which she'd once found calming, now only filled her with rage as it came from her phone speaker. "Chad Bowinger! That boy I’ve seen you with! He used to intern here, just like you!"

_No shit, Sherlock._

"He went to report a story on that used sporting goods store that we thought was a front for the World Government, and never came back out. I guess it was something much worse he found in that shady old building.”

_That is so like you._ She loved the fact that he’d never bothered to follow up. Never bothered to figure out what happened to Chad. He never bothered to check on his interns once they “died.”

_ Not unless it's Mayor Cardinal. _

"Now the two of you have a really successful startup. I’m proud of our internship program here at the station. I – I’m also proud of you for becoming a professional.” Oh, that was hilarious. "You’re leading an army,” or whatever, "Maureen, that’s very impressive! Much more so than filing papers, fetching me lunch, and updating my erotic fan fiction blog. It sounds like a great job with good benefits. It’s, uh, it’s a tough job market for you young people these days. Lots of changing technologies making old jobs like print journalism, cardiology, and computer programming obsolete. Plus, all these new people moving here from Desert Bluffs? Kudos to you, Maureen!”

“Kudos to you, Maureen!” She mocked under her breath, rolling her eyes. This was ridiculous. He didn’t care about her. He never had.

"Here’s my question, though, and it’s an important one. So, Carlos, my boyfriend. Earlier, when I talked to him, I forgot to say “I love you” at the end of the call. I was…I was preoccupied. No – no big deal. My love was implicit in the way was talked to each other. Love needn’t be verbalized when it exists in intuition and physical contact. He knows I love him.

But part of me wonders…what if one of those rare times I forgot to hug him goodbye, or failed to say “I love you,” turns out to be the last time I have that chance? Lots can go wrong in an indifferent universe.”

She liked that quote. Lots can go wrong in an indifferent universe. That’s what they had. An indifferent universe. _An indifferent universe, with indifferent people who only care about you if you do something for them._

"I’ll see him in a couple of hours, right? I’ll see Carlos later. Right, Maureen?”

She’d had enough. She picked up the phone with a growl. “What do you want, Cecil?”

“Oh. Oh! Maureen! You’re there!”

“Yeah, I am, and I’m busy, so make this quick.”

“I just want to know what you and Chad are doing—“

“No. No, you would’ve started with that if that’s what you wanted to know, since you’re still on the air and have a responsibility to your oh-so-precious listeners. Your little tangent about Carlos and how “proud” of me you are clearly had some ulterior motive.”

“Maureen, I—“

“No. No. You had your chance, Cecil. You had your chance, back when I came back with John Peters, and you just _sent me to the library_. You had your chance when I covered that emergency press conference, and you _brushed me off_ with an et. cetera. You had your chance when you sent me to that stupid parade, and you _pretended to not understand_ that I was dying in the street because of your _stupid_ _internship_.”

“But—“

“Oh, but I didn’t die, so it’s okay!” She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t _matter_ that my friends all left because my repeating death is too “emotionally draining!” It doesn’t _matter_ that my own family distanced themselves! All that _matters_ is that I’m not dead, so it’s okay!”

“Maureen…I had no idea…”

“You know I used to look up to you? You were my _idol_. You’re the reason I went into radio! I used to listen to your show every day. I would’ve given everything to meet you…Now I can’t even have those memories, because I know who you really are.”

“I—“

“I lost everything because of you, Cecil. You ruined my entire life, my entire childhood, and you have the _nerve_ to come and ask me to help protect your own?”

There was a pause before he spoke again.

“No.”

That was new.

“What?”

“No. You’re wrong. I don’t care what you do to me. I—I deserve it. I think I understand now. I wasn’t asking you to stop for me—I just don’t want you to drag everyone else down with you. Carlos, Old Woman Josie, John Peters, you know, the farmer—Hell, even Steve Carlsberg! They’re innocent! This is between you and me, Maureen. Don’t ruin everyone else’s life too.”

“You don’t get it do you. They’re just as much at fault as you are. THEY ALL ABANDONED ME TOO!!!” She ended the call, throwing her phone across the room and watching it shatter. Whatever. It was just her work phone anyway.

* * *

 

She didn’t realize she was crying until Michelle was suddenly there, wrapping her in a hug and just letting her sob into her chest.

* * *

 

Michelle was all she had now.

* * *

 

** Michelle was the only one who’d be safe. **


End file.
